The present invention is directed to an apparatus for providing law enforcement personnel and private citizens with a single device that integrates law enforcement tools and mechanisms for the application of force. For example, the field of law enforcement includes police officers, correctional officers, transportation security administration officers, and any person whose job function may require the lawful application of force upon another person. Also as an example, private citizens include any person who can lawfully possess mechanisms for the application of force.
Law enforcement personnel are faced with a myriad of threats on a daily basis. While some of these threats necessitate the use of lethal force, most situations simply call for a lesser level of force. Private citizens may also encounter threats which may call for the application of a lesser level of force.
Lethal force is force that is likely to cause serious injury or death. Lethal force is typically implemented in the law enforcement field with a firearm. Lesser levels of force include force application means that are not intended to cause death or serious injury and that decrease a person's capacity for physical resistance.
Many current devices that provide force are cumbersome and difficult to carry clandestinely. Many are not easy to access and operate in physical altercations. Almost all allow attackers to easily disarm the user. This problem is exacerbated in the case of private citizens who do not have the level of training a law enforcement officer might have in handling physical confrontational situations. If a device is easily taken away from the intended user, the user is at a significant disadvantage.
Devices that employ one form of force are known. These include electric stun guns, debilitating sprays, strobe lights and blunt objects. Electric stun guns deliver a low current, high voltage electrical charge to a person's body, temporarily immobilizing the charged person. Debilitating sprays, such as pepper spray or tear gas, create a burning sensation on the skin and in the eyes. A strobe light can produce a disorienting light pattern that can be applied to a person or animal. Blunt objects can be used to physically subdue a person.
Many implementations of the above mechanisms are single-purpose devices. A stun gun, debilitating spray canister, strobe light and blunt object are often carried separately, adding unnecessary weight to the user's person and decreasing the user's agility. The need to carry multiple items is also inconvenient and increases the time it takes for a user to gear up. In situations calling for the use of one of the devices, the user must search for the appropriate device, grasp it, and then apply it. These steps must be done quickly so the user maintains control of the situation and does not allow the subject of the force to gain a tactical advantage. These characteristics render users less effective at their job functions.
There are some combinations of these devices that are known. However, these combinations are cumbersome, difficult to operate, and increase user reaction time. Combination devices tend to be too large to carry clandestinely, limiting their user base to those who are uniformed personnel. Combination devices tend to implement each feature in a clumsy design that makes operation more difficult than a single-purpose device. This increases user reaction time and decreases user effectiveness. Combination devices tend to allow for the easy disarming of the user. These devices also do not allow for the quick escalation of force according to the aggressiveness and physical proximity of an attacker.
Law enforcement personnel often use several tools to perform their job functions that are not primarily used as force applicators. These tools include flashlights and metal detectors.
Flashlights make vision easier in low ambient light situations. As law enforcement personnel often function during night hours, a portable source of light is essential to their success. Flashlights may also be used to disorient or confuse. A flashlight with a “strobe” feature allows the user to emit alternating beams of high and low intensity light which tend to enhance the disorienting or confusing effects. Metal detectors are used frequently by law enforcement personnel to assess the threat level a subject may pose. Metal detectors are routinely used to screen air travel passengers, suspects, and prison inmates for weapons. When a weapon is found, a tense situation may develop between the user and the subject. If the subject resists the user's efforts, the user needs to quickly employ escalating levels of force to neutralize the situation. Many current metal detectors are not designed for this purpose, giving the user little time to select another tool and deploy it.
Despite earlier attempts, there remains a need in the field for a combination device that seamlessly integrates force application mechanisms and other security tools. There also remains a need for a combination device that is difficult to remove from the user's possession. Furthermore, there remains a need for a combination device that enables the user to quickly and easily escalate the level of force applied in accordance with the physical aggressiveness and proximity of an attacker.
These and other objects of the present invention will be described in the detailed description that follows.